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AUGUST 7, 2000

A Texas jury will decide how much a Hispanic family is due from a man who didn't pay them for oil and gas royalties on Padre Island.

The Balli family is asking for $11 million.

Last week, the court ruled Gilbert Kerlin, a 90-year-old man who bought the island in 1938, didn't pay descendants of the family the oil and gas royalties as required by the original sale. The ruling has been seen as setting precedent for other Hispanic families in the Southwest to seek redress for lost, stolen, or sold land.

Get the Story:
History, heritage drive Padre Island lawsuit (AP 8/7)
Court rules on 'stolen' island (Tribal Law 8/3)